Investigations
Deep-dive data journalism about federal lobbying. We follow the money from K Street to Capitol Hill and tell the stories the numbers reveal.
NEW — APRIL 2026The Pentagon Wants $200 Billion for Iran. The Defense Lobby Is Ready.
At $11 billion per week, the Iran war is the most expensive military campaign since Iraq. Defense contractors are mobilizing their lobbying machines to capture the contracts.
Read the investigation →Q1 2026 Lobbying: Record Spending as Iran War, AI, and Tariffs Collide
Three simultaneous crises are driving unprecedented lobbying spending. Anthropic posted $1.6M — its biggest quarter ever. 2025 hit $5.08B. 2026 will be higher.
Defense Lobby Surges as Pentagon Seeks $200B for Iran War
The Pentagon wants $200 billion for Iran. Defense contractors are spending millions to capture the contracts. We follow the money.
Big Tech's AI Lobbying Blitz: Who's Spending What in 2026
Meta spent $4.6M in California alone. AI lobbyists are flying staffers on luxury trips. The AI lobbying war of the decade.
Tariff Lobbying 2026: Who's Fighting Trump's Trade War
From copper fabricators to automakers, industries are spending millions lobbying for tariff exemptions as Trump's trade war escalates.
DOGE vs. The Lobbying Machine
Billions spent lobbying to keep government programs alive. What happens when DOGE comes for the agencies that lobbyists depend on?
Big Tech's $150M Lobbying War
Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Qualcomm have spent $150M+ lobbying on AI, antitrust, privacy, and trade.
Big Pharma's $452M Lobbying Machine
The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry has spent $452 million lobbying Congress. Here are the companies and the money.
The Revolving Door Exposed
5,000 former government officials — from White House advisors to congressional chiefs of staff — now lobby their old colleagues.
Foreign Governments Are Lobbying Congress
1,000+ foreign entities from 50+ countries lobby the US government. The UK leads with 474 filings. China has 165.
Follow the Money: The 8,187x Return on Lobbying
Companies that lobby get billions in government contracts. McKesson spent $1.45M and got $11.8B back. We calculated the ROI.
Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon: The Defense Lobby
Defense contractors spend millions lobbying for contracts worth billions. The numbers.
The Crypto Lobbying Explosion
The fastest-growing lobbying sector in DC. How crypto went from zero to a political force.
Who's Lobbying to Shape AI Policy
Meta spent $26M in 2024 alone. The AI regulation fight is the biggest lobbying battle of the decade.
The 2025 Tariff Panic
As tariffs return, lobbying on trade surges. Which industries are most desperate to be exempt?
Federal Lobbying Statistics 2025: Complete Guide
The definitive stats page — $37.7B total, $6.0B in 2025, 726K+ filings, industry breakdowns, and historical trends.
What Is Lobbying? A Complete Guide
How lobbying works, who does it, and why $6.0 billion a year buys a lot of influence. Your plain-language explainer.
For Every $1 They Lobby, They Get $49,536 Back
We cross-referenced lobbying with USASpending contract data. 21 contractors, $281M lobbying, $183.8B contracts. The ROI is staggering.
The Healthcare Lobby's $3 Billion Bet
Healthcare is the #1 lobbied issue in America — $2.3B on health reform, $1.2B on Medicare/Medicaid. Inside medicine's war for Washington.
Washington's Busiest Quarter
Lobbying follows the federal calendar. Q4 is king with $9.9B in income. The hidden seasonal patterns of influence.
The 22,000% ROI: How Lobbying Became America's Best Investment
93 firms spent $283M lobbying for a tax holiday and saved $62.5B. Academic research meets our data on 726K+ filings.
First-Time Filers: Meet the Companies That Just Started Lobbying Washington
6,997 organizations filed lobbying disclosures for the first time in 2025 — from AI startups to infant formula makers.
The 369% Premium: Hard Proof That the Revolving Door Pays
Firms with ex-government lobbyists earn 369% more revenue and have 4.9x more clients. We quantified it.
$27,000 Per Person: Why DC Is America's True Lobbying Capital
DC has $27,105 in lobbying per capita — 89x the national average. We mapped the geography of influence.
The Lobbying Arms Race: When Industries Go to War Over the Same Issues
Healthcare + Medicare: 31,240 co-filings. When one side lobbies, opponents respond. The permanent battlegrounds.
The Wall Street–Washington Pipeline
Banks, hedge funds, and financial firms have spent billions lobbying to shape regulation — from Dodd-Frank rollbacks to crypto battles.
Big Oil's Climate Lobby
ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and the American Petroleum Institute have spent hundreds of millions lobbying against climate regulation.
Silicon Valley vs. Antitrust: Big Tech's Fight to Stay Big
Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have spent $150M+ lobbying against antitrust regulation.
The Health Insurance Lobby
UnitedHealth, Cigna, Elevance, and AHIP have spent tens of millions fighting Medicare expansion and drug pricing reform.
The Lobbying Industrial Complex: $37.7 Billion and 726,000 Filings
The definitive overview: 726K+ filings, $37.7B spent, 23,500+ lobbyists, and the machine that really runs Washington.